Vtg Disk Image Utility

A cross-platform utility for reading and writing Victor 9000 and IBM PC floppy and hard disk images.

Features

Victor 9000 Support
- FAT12 floppy disks (single and double-sided)
- Hard disk images with multiple partitions
- CP/M-86 floppy disks (read-only)
IBM PC Support
- FAT12 floppy disks (360KB, 720KB, 1.2MB, 1.44MB)
Operations
- List directory contents (with recursive option)
- Copy files to/from disk images (with wildcard support)
- Delete files from disk images
- Create new blank disk images
- View and modify file attributes
- Verify disk image integrity
- View disk information and statistics
Interfaces
- Command-line interface (CLI)
- Graphical user interface (GUI) with drag-and-drop support

Requirements

Python 3.12 or later
wxPython 4.2+ (for GUI only)

Installation

From Source

# Clone or download the repository
cd vtg_image_util

# Install dependencies (GUI only)
pip install wxPython

# Run directly
python -m vtg_image_util --help
python -m vtg_image_util.gui

Install as Package

pip install -e .

Usage

Command Line Interface

List Files

# List root directory
vtg_image_util list disk.img

# List subdirectory
vtg_image_util list disk.img:\SUBDIR

# List recursively (all subdirectories)
vtg_image_util list disk.img -r

# Hard disk - list partitions
vtg_image_util list vichd.img

# Hard disk - list partition contents
vtg_image_util list vichd.img:0:\

# Hard disk - list all partitions recursively
vtg_image_util list vichd.img -r

# JSON output
vtg_image_util list disk.img --json

Copy Files

# Copy single file from image
vtg_image_util copy disk.img:\COMMAND.COM ./

# Copy with wildcards
vtg_image_util copy disk.img:\*.COM ./output/

# Copy all files
vtg_image_util copy disk.img:\*.* ./output/

# Copy recursively (include subdirectories)
vtg_image_util copy disk.img:\* ./output/ -r

# Copy to image
vtg_image_util copy localfile.txt disk.img:\FILE.TXT

# Copy directory to image (recursive)
vtg_image_util copy ./mydir disk.img:\MYDIR -r

# Hard disk partitions
vtg_image_util copy vichd.img:0:\FILE.COM ./
vtg_image_util copy localfile.txt vichd.img:1:\FILE.TXT

Delete Files and Directories

# Delete a file
vtg_image_util delete disk.img:\FILE.COM
vtg_image_util delete vichd.img:0:\FILE.COM

# Delete a directory and its contents
vtg_image_util delete disk.img:\SUBDIR -r
vtg_image_util delete vichd.img:0:\MYDIR -r

Create/Remove Directories

# Create directory
vtg_image_util mkdir disk.img:\SUBDIR
vtg_image_util mkdir vichd.img:0:\NEWDIR

# Create nested directories
vtg_image_util mkdir disk.img:\DIR1
vtg_image_util mkdir disk.img:\DIR1\DIR2

# Remove empty directory
vtg_image_util rmdir disk.img:\SUBDIR

# Remove directory and all contents
vtg_image_util rmdir disk.img:\SUBDIR -r

Create Disk Images

# Victor 9000 floppy (single-sided ~600KB)
vtg_image_util create new.img -t victor-ss

# Victor 9000 floppy (double-sided ~1.2MB)
vtg_image_util create new.img -t victor-ds

# IBM PC floppies
vtg_image_util create new.img -t 360K
vtg_image_util create new.img -t 720K
vtg_image_util create new.img -t 1.2M
vtg_image_util create new.img -t 1.44M

# With volume label
vtg_image_util create new.img -t victor-ds -l MYDISK

# Overwrite existing
vtg_image_util create new.img -t 1.44M -f

View/Modify Attributes

# View attributes
vtg_image_util attr disk.img:\FILE.COM

# Set read-only
vtg_image_util attr disk.img:\FILE.COM -- +R

# Clear archive, set hidden
vtg_image_util attr disk.img:\FILE.COM -- -A +H

Attribute flags: R (read-only), H (hidden), S (system), A (archive)

Disk Information

vtg_image_util info disk.img
vtg_image_util info vichd.img:0    # Specific partition
vtg_image_util info disk.img -v    # Verbose/technical details

Verify Disk Integrity

vtg_image_util verify disk.img
vtg_image_util verify vichd.img:0  # Specific partition

Global Options

--version        Show version
-v, --verbose    Detailed output
-q, --quiet      Suppress non-essential output
--json           JSON output format
--help-syntax    Detailed help with examples

Graphical User Interface

# Launch GUI
python -m vtg_image_util.gui

# Open specific image
python -m vtg_image_util.gui disk.img

GUI Features:

Open/Save/Close disk images
Browse directories with file list
Copy files and folders via drag-and-drop or menu
Recursive folder copy in both directions (to/from disk image)
Delete files with confirmation
View file properties
Search/filter files (supports wildcards)
Recent files menu
Partition selection for hard disks

Path Syntax

Floppy Disks

image.img                  Image file (list root)
image.img:\                Root directory
image.img:\FILE.COM        File in root
image.img:\SUBDIR          Subdirectory
image.img:\SUBDIR\FILE     File in subdirectory

Hard Disks (with partitions)

image.img                  Image file (list partitions)
image.img:0:\              Partition 0 root
image.img:0:\FILE.COM      File in partition 0
image.img:1:\SUBDIR        Subdirectory in partition 1

Wildcards

*        Matches any characters (including none)
?        Matches exactly one character
*.COM    All .COM files
*.*      All files with extensions
*        All files (with or without extension)

Building Standalone Executables

Windows

Requires PyInstaller:

pip install pyinstaller

cd vtg_image_util
pyinstaller vtg_image_util.spec --clean

Output in dist/:

vtg_image_util.exe - CLI version (console)
vtg_image_util_gui.exe - GUI version (windowed)

macOS

pip install pyinstaller

cd vtg_image_util
pyinstaller vtg_image_util.spec --clean

Note: You may need to create a macOS-specific .spec file or modify the existing one for proper app bundle creation.

Linux

pip install pyinstaller

cd vtg_image_util
pyinstaller vtg_image_util.spec --clean

For distribution, consider creating an AppImage or packaging for your distribution.

Platform Notes

Windows

Executables are self-contained single files
No Python installation required for .exe files
Path separator in image paths uses backslash: disk.img:\FILE

macOS

Install wxPython: pip install wxPython
For Apple Silicon, ensure you have the ARM64 version of Python
Run from terminal: python -m vtg_image_util.gui

Linux

Install wxPython: pip install wxPython

On some distributions, you may need GTK development libraries:

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install libgtk-3-dev

# Fedora
sudo dnf install gtk3-devel

Run from terminal: python -m vtg_image_util.gui

Technical Details

Victor 9000 Floppy Format

FAT12 filesystem
4 sectors per cluster (2048 bytes)
Single-sided: ~600KB, Double-sided: ~1.2MB
Variable track geometry (GCR encoding on real hardware)

Victor 9000 Hard Disk Format

Physical disk label at sector 0
Multiple partitions (virtual volumes)
Variable cluster size (typically 32KB)
Each partition has independent FAT and directory

IBM PC Floppy Format

Standard FAT12 with BIOS Parameter Block
Boot signature 0x55AA identifies format
Geometry read from BPB fields

Image Type Detection

File size > 2MB with valid label: Victor hard disk
Boot signature 0x55AA + valid BPB: IBM PC floppy
Default: Victor 9000 floppy

File Structure

vtg_image_util/
├── vtg_image_util/          # Main package
│   ├── __init__.py
│   ├── __main__.py          # CLI entry point
│   ├── commands.py          # CLI command handlers
│   ├── floppy.py            # Floppy disk classes
│   ├── harddisk.py          # Hard disk classes
│   ├── cpm.py               # CP/M support
│   ├── fat12.py             # FAT12 implementation
│   ├── creator.py           # Disk creation
│   ├── verify.py            # Disk verification
│   ├── info.py              # Disk information
│   └── gui/                 # GUI package
│       ├── __init__.py
│       ├── __main__.py      # GUI entry point
│       ├── main.py          # App initialization
│       ├── main_frame.py    # Main window
│       ├── file_list.py     # File list control
│       ├── toolbar.py       # Toolbar
│       ├── dialogs.py       # Dialog windows
│       └── ...
├── example_disks/           # Test disk images
├── vtg_image_util.spec      # PyInstaller spec
├── cli_main.py              # CLI executable entry
├── gui_main.py              # GUI executable entry
└── README.md

License

This project is provided as-is for working with vintage Victor 9000 disk images.

Acknowledgments

Victor 9000 technical documentation
FAT12 filesystem specifications
wxPython project

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 12 Commits
format_docs		format_docs
vtg_image_util		vtg_image_util
.gitignore		.gitignore
CLAUDE.md		CLAUDE.md
README.md		README.md
build.bat		build.bat
clean.bat		clean.bat
cli_main.py		cli_main.py
gui_main.py		gui_main.py
test_vtg_image_util.py		test_vtg_image_util.py
vtg_image_util.py		vtg_image_util.py
vtg_image_util.spec		vtg_image_util.spec
windows-exe.zip		windows-exe.zip

IntergalacticMicrosystems/vtg_image_util

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Vtg Disk Image Utility

Features

Requirements

Installation

From Source

Install as Package

Usage

Command Line Interface

List Files

Copy Files

Delete Files and Directories

Create/Remove Directories

Create Disk Images

View/Modify Attributes

Disk Information

Verify Disk Integrity

Global Options

Graphical User Interface

Path Syntax

Floppy Disks

Hard Disks (with partitions)

Wildcards

Building Standalone Executables

Windows

macOS

Linux

Platform Notes

Windows

macOS

Linux

Technical Details

Victor 9000 Floppy Format

Victor 9000 Hard Disk Format

IBM PC Floppy Format

Image Type Detection

File Structure

License

Acknowledgments

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